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About the Book

An incisive analysis of the connections between democracy and violence by acknowledged experts in the field. The connection between the two activities has often been largely ignored because of a widespread reluctance among democrats to consider the possibility that democratic forms perhaps encourage violence. This challenging volume opens up the debate.

Reviews

'Stimulates further attention to the relationship between democracy and political violence … the number of contributions makes this book good value, but it is in the provocative nature of the contributions that the editors truly succeed in their goal.' - ECPR Standing Group on Extremism & Democracy

'This is an excellent collection of insightful essays. Recommended to political scientists, policy makers and students of political violence. Ideal supplement to textbooks on terrorism.' - Choice

'A diverse, well-argued book that tackles important problems in modern democracies before and after 11 September 2001.' - Millennium

Table of Contents

Introduction 1. Elections and violence 2. Electoral regimes and the proscription of anti-democratic parties 3. Violence and electoral polarization in divided societies - three cases in comparative perspective 4. Should self-determination be legalized? 5. Democracy, commitment problems and managing ethnic violence - the case of India and Sri Lanka 6. Western democracies and Islamic fundamentalist violence 7. Purity is danger - an argument for divisible identities 8. Violence in the name of democracy - justifications for separatism on the radical right 9. Extremism and violence in Israeli democracy 10. violence and democracy in Eastern Europe 11. Violence and the paradox of democratic renewal - a preliminary assessment 12. The Italian regions and the prospects for democracy 13. Originary democracy and the critique of pure fairness 14. The political context of terrorism in America - ignoring extremists or pandering to them? 15. Democracy and the black urban riots - rethinking the meaning of political violence in democracy 16. Conclusions